Bureau of Indian Education

The Bureau of Indian Education supports educational opportunities for more than 400,000 American Indian and Alaska Native students across the United States through a comprehensive system of direct services and funding programs spanning early childhood to postsecondary education.

BIE serves approximately 40,000 K–12 students at 183 elementary and secondary schools on 64 reservations in 23 states. This network includes 55 BIE-operated and 128 Tribally controlled schools, all providing culturally relevant education grounded in Tribal languages, traditions, and community values. In addition, through the Johnson O’Malley program, BIE supports the educational and cultural needs of more than 325,000 Native students enrolled in public schools and other eligible institutions.

BIE also provides early childhood and special education services that reach tens of thousands of students and families across tribal communities. More than 34,000 children and families are supported through early learning programs such as the Family and Child Education program, IDEA Part C, and other early childhood initiatives that promote school readiness, language development, and family engagement in ways that honor and reflect Tribal cultures. Through IDEA Part B and Part C, BIE serves over 6,000 Native students with disabilities from birth through age 21, ensuring access to early intervention services, special education, and related supports that are both legally compliant and culturally responsive.

In postsecondary education, BIE advances opportunities for Native students by directly operating Haskell Indian Nations University and Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute, which enroll approximately 2,000 students annually. Additionally, BIE provides funding to 29 Tribal Colleges and Universities and two Tribal Technical Colleges, which are tribally controlled and serve more than 22,000 students nationwide. These institutions play a critical role in preserving Native languages, advancing tribal self-determination, and preparing students for careers and leadership in their communities.

Strategic Direction

The BIE's Strategic Direction serves as a roadmap for what the Bureau will achieve, how it will achieve it, and how it will measure success. It outlines the BIE's vision and mission, bolstered by overarching priorities, strategies, and core values to shape how it will accomplish the work. The Strategic Direction provides the flexibility for tribes and communities to implement it in a way that works best for them. The Strategic Direction will continue to evolve based on the research and benchmarking the Bureau conducts and the input it receives from a wide range of stakeholders.

Visit the BIE's Strategic Direction webpage.

History

Three major legislative actions have restructured the Bureau of Indian Affairs about educating American Indians since the Snyder Act of 1921. First, the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 introduced the teaching of Indian history and culture in BIA schools (until then it had been Federal policy to acculturate and assimilate Indian people by eradicating their tribal cultures through a boarding school system). Second, the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975 gave authority to federally recognized tribes to contract with the BIA for the operation of Bureau-funded schools and to determine education programs suitable for their children. The Education Amendments Act of 1978 and further technical amendments provided funds directly to tribally operated schools, empowered Indian school boards, permitted local hiring of teachers and staff, and established a direct line of authority between the Education Director and the AS-IA. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001  brought additional requirements to the schools by holding them accountable for improving their students’ academic performance with the U.S. Department of Education supplemental program funds they receive through the Bureau.

Formerly known as the Office of Indian Education Programs, the Bureau of Indian Education was renamed and established on August 29, 2006, to reflect the parallel purpose and organizational structure BIE has in relation to other programs within the Office of the Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs. The BIE is headed by a Director, who is responsible for the line direction and management of all education functions, including forming policies and procedures, supervising all program activities, and approving the expenditure of funds appropriated for education functions.

As stated in Title 25 CFR Part 32.3, BIE’s mission is to provide quality education opportunities from early childhood through life in accordance with a tribe’s needs for cultural and economic well-being, in keeping with the vast diversity of Indian tribes and Alaska Native villages as distinct cultural and governmental entities. Further, the BIE is to manifest consideration of the whole person by considering the individual's spiritual, mental, physical, and cultural aspects within his or her family and tribal or village context. The BIE school system employs thousands of teachers, administrators and support personnel, while many more work in tribal school systems.